This article will explain how to install Arch Linux inside a virtual machine (e.g. in VMware Workstation on Windows or VMware Fusion on Mac OS X).

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This article handles installing Archlinux in a VMware-based virtual environment such as VMware ESX, VMware Workstation/Fusion and VMware Player.

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If using systemd, see: [[Installing_Arch_Linux_in_VMware_(systemd)|Installing Arch Linux in VMware (systemd)]].

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==VMware Tools versus Open-VM-Tools==

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You may also be interested in [[VMware|installing VMware in Arch]].

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VMware Tools for linux exists in 2 forms: the [http://packages.vmware.com/tools official VMware Tools] and Open-VM-Tools. VMware Tools is based on a stable snapshot of Open-VM-Tools. Open-VM-Tools contains more experimental code and features.

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The official VMware Tools are not available for Archlinux.

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== VMware Tools ==

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Originally, VMware Tools provided the best drivers for network and storage, combined with the functionality for other features such as time synchronization. However, for quite a while now the drivers for the network adapter en scsi adapter are part of the linux kernel, and VMware Tools is only needed for extra features and support for the "old" vmxnet adapter.

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The VMware Tools improve networking capability, cut and paste between the host and the guest under X, or access of the directories on host from the guest (called shared folders by VMware). They also provide a set of tools to access advanced options of the Virtual Machine, including shrinking and freeing unnecessary space in the virtual hard drives

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Install the {{ic|open-vm-tools}} package from <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[community]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>:

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==Open-VM-Tools modules==

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pacman -S open-vm-tools

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and start {{ic|VMware tools}} with:

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The open-vm-tools package contains the following modules:

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rc.d start open-vm-tools

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To start them automatically at boot, add the daemon to the [[DAEMONS]] array in [[rc.conf]].

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* vmblock: kernel filesystem module, enables drag&drop functionality between the host system and the virtual machine in VMware Workstation/Fusion.

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DAEMONS=( ... open-vm-tools ... )

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* vmhgfs: kernel filesystem module, enables file/directory sharing between the host system and the virtual machine in VMware Workstation/Fusion.

* vmci: virtual machine communication interface, high performance interface between virtual machines on the same host and between virtual machines and the host itself.

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* vsocket: part of vmci.

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* vmxnet: driver for the old vmxnet netwerk-adapter.

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To start the {{ic|vmware toolbox}} (allows you to configure time synchronization, connect or disconnect devices, shrink the hard disk freeing unnecessary space, etc), run the following command:

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==Open-VM-Tools utilities==

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# vmware-toolbox

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{{Note|In previous versions, starting this daemon was not strictly necessary; mouse integration, copy/paste and drag/drop under X would still work, as long as vmware-user was executed. This is no longer the case. Starting with version 2010.07.25 of open-vm-tools, vmware-user is no longer available and its functionality is implemented as a plugin managed by a new daemon (vmtoolsd).}}

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The open-vm-tools package comes with the following utilities:

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{{Note|1=You may find get the following error when starting {{ic|open-vm-tools}}:

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* vmtoolsd: service responsible for the virtual machine status report.

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ERROR: could not insert 'vmhgfs': Invalid argument

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* vmware-check-vm: tool to check whether a utility has been started on a physical or virtual machine.

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In this case, the solution is to build the {{ic|open-vm-tools-modules}} package with [[ABS]] against the currently installed kernel. This is discussed [https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=1057886 here].}}

Install the {{Pkg|open-vm-tools}} package in the <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[community]]<nowiki>]</nowiki> repository.

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# pacman -S xorg-server xf86-input-vmmouse xf86-video-vmware svga-dri

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and the fallback X driver:

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Start the service and enable it at boot:

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# pacman -S xf86-video-vesa

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Add de vmwgfx module to the MODULES array in rc.conf.

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# systemctl start vmtoolsd

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# systemctl enable vmtoolsd

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# MODULES = (... vmwgfx ...)

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The open-vm-tools reads the file /etc/arch-release which is empty:

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Please notice: the virtual machine should have at least 32MB VGA memory !

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cat /proc/version > /etc/arch-release

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== Enable Unity ==

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==Time synchronization==

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Unity is installed by default, but needs a bit of work to get it running.

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First, make sure that {{ic|open-vm-tools}} is installed and loaded on startup. If needed, add {{ic|open-vm-tools}} to the DAEMONS list.

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Log out and restart. Unity will work. Unfortunately at the moment, menus may not display properly, so launch a terminal, switch to Unity and use the terminal to launch whatever you want. If you get an error like:

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Configuring time synchronization in a virtual machine is important: fluctuations are bound to occur more easily in a virtual machine compared to a physical host. This is mostly due to the fact that the CPU is shared by more than one virtual machine.

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error while loading shared libraries: libgtkmm-2.4.so.1: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory

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Install {{ic|gtkmm}}:

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There are 2 options to set up time synchronization: the host machine as source or an external server as source.

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pacman -S gtkmm

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== Shared Folders with the Host ==

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===Host machine as time source===

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To use the host as a time source (for example in an ESX server), run the following command (one time is enough):

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Create a new Shared Folder by selecting {{ic|VM}} -> {{ic|Settings...}} from the VMware Workstation menu. Select the {{ic|Options}} tab and then {{ic|Shared Folder}}. Check the {{ic|Always enabled}} option and create a new share. For Windows XP you can create a share with the Name {{ic|C}} and the Host Path {{ic|C:\}}.

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vmware-toolbox-cmd timesync enable

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Then add a line like the following to your {{ic|/etc/fstab}} file (changing uid/gid as needed) for each shared folder:

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To synchronize your guest clock with the host after your host machine wakes up from sleeping (like a laptop computer):

I run the above command every time I wake up my sleeping laptop and resume using Arch Linux inside the VMWare Player.

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mkdir /mnt/shared

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===External server as time source===

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mount /mnt/shared

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== Copy and Paste between VM and Host ==

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See [[NTP]].

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Run {{ic|vmware-user-suid-wrapper}} after starting X, either manually or as part of your {{ic|~/.xinitrc}} file. From now on, your X clipboard selection will be automatically be copied to the Host's clipboard and vice versa. Enjoy!

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==Xorg configuration==

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== Final touch ==

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{{Note|To use Xorg in a virtual machine, a minimum of 32MB VGA memory is needed, and the VMware hardware version has to be > 8, version 7 is no longer functioning correctly.}}

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=== Prune mlocate DB ===

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Install the following dependencies:

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It is useless to add the shared directories to the {{ic|locate DB}}. Add the shared directories to {{ic|PRUNEPATHS}} in {{ic|/etc/updatedb}}.

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pacman -S xf86-input-vmmouse xf86-video-vmware svga-dri

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== Paravirtualization ==

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Configure the {{ic|vmwgfx}} module to [[Kernel Modules#Loading|load at boot]].

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=== Description ===

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Create the following file:

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{{hc|/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-gpudriver.conf|

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Section "Device"

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Identifier "Card0"

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Driver "vmware"

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EndSection}}

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[[wikipedia:Paravirtualization|Paravirtualization]] (PV) is a virtualization feature\technique that allows some of the processing, which in an ideal virtualized environment happens inside the virtualization to be done outside of the virtualized context. This will, in most cases, greatly improve the base line performance of a virtual machine. Although in some cases, depending on many variables, it will not.

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Afterwards, a reboot is required.

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With the to-date distributions of Arch, PV works out of the box.

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For guest screen autofit to work correctly, vmware-user-suid-wrapper must be started after X starts. To do so, create the following file:

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On newer x86 and x86-64 CPU models (Both AMD and Intel) PV is implemented as a hardware feature and no additional configuration is required.

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{{Note|The open-vm-tools 1:9.2.0-2 package creates this file. Maybe this step can be removed from this wiki?}}

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For older CPU models, You must enable the deprecated VMI protocol that introduces modifications to the guest kernel that makes it aware of the fact that it is virtualized. (Microsoft refers to this as an Enlightened Guest OS)

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{{hc|/etc/xdg/autostart/vmware-user.desktop|

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[Desktop Entry]

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Type&#61;Application

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Name&#61;VMWare User Agent

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Exec&#61;/usr/bin/vmware-user-suid-wrapper

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Icon&#61;system-run}}

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=== VMI Retired ===

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Restart X and the guest will resize automatically to the host window after login.

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VMWare PV was once implemented as the VMI (Virtual Machine Interface) standard.

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==Paravirtual SCSI-Adapter==

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In 2009, VMware announced they would [http://blogs.vmware.com/guestosguide/2009/09/vmi-retirement.html stop supporting VMI] in 2011. The Linux kernel [http://blog.quiettech.org/?p=780 should remove the VMI code] around version 2.6.37. VMI still remains useful since it allows for PV on older CPUs and Arch Linux is well built for a Linux VM Guest on hosts with low resources. VMI offers a tremendous impact on the VM performance under these circumstances.

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Due to less overhead the paravirtual scsi-adapter can give a substantial performance boost in ESX.

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In updated vmware products (Workstation 7+ and ESX 4+) VMI is retired. The functionality that was implemented in VMI and not covered by the improvements in modern CPUs is now implemented by the newer VMCI standard.

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This can be used as follows: open the {{ic|/etc/[[mkinitcpio.conf]]}} file and add the following to the MODULES array:

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Again, on to-date Arch Linux and open-vm-tools installations, VMCI works OOB and should not pose any problems. If you do encounter issues then the [http://communities.vmware.com/index.jspa Vmware Community] forums will offer all the aid you need.

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On Vmware Workstation products VMCI is enabled by default. On Vmware ESX products VMCI is disabled by default on the basis that it COULD pose a security risk. You can enable or disable VMCI through the VM settings screen.

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MODULES=(...vmw_pvscsi...)

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VMCI provides extra features, as well as a generic platform, for the area of Guest-To-Host communication.

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=== VMI Installation ===

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Afterwards, run the command:

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You must install the {{ic|open-vm-tools}} before enabling {{ic|VMI}}.

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mkinitcpio -p linux

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To enable {{ic|VMI}} click on {{ic|Settings...}} from the VM menu. Select the {{ic|Processors device}} and enable {{ic|VMWare kernel paravirtualization}}.

Once Arch is up and running you can check if you have {{ic|VMI}} enabled or not by running the following command:

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==VMCI==

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$ dmesg | grep vmi

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If VMI is enabled you should see an output such as:

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The [http://www.vmware.com/support/developer/vmci-sdk VMCI interface] is enabled by default in VMware Workstation and Fusion. In VMware ESX the interface is restricted, which means that communication is only possible between ESX and the virtual machine, not between virtual machines themselves. This can be changed in the Virtual Machine settings, traffic between ESX and the Virtual Machine can not be disabled.

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Booting paravirtualized kernel on vmi [deprecated]

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vmi: registering clock event vmi-timer. mult=9202214 shift=22

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vmi: registering clock event vmi-timer. mult=9202214 shift=22

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vmi: registering clock source khz=2193979

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Switching to clocksource vmi-timer

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=== VMCI Installation ===

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==DRAG AND DROP==

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To verify that {{ic|VMCI}} is up and running, run the following command:

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Drag and Drop from files, from VMware Workstation/Fusion into the Virtual Machines, can be disabled by editing {{ic|/etc/conf.d/open-vm-tools}}:

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$ dmesg | grep vmci

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If {{ic|VMCI}} is enabled you should see an output such as:

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VM_DRAG_AND_DROP="no"

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Probing for vmci/PCI.

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vmci 0000:00:07.7: PCI INT A -> GSI (level, low) -> IRQ 16

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Found vmci/PCI at 0x1080, irq 16.

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Registered vmci device.

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== Troubleshooting ==

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==COPY AND PASTE==

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=== Networking ===

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Install the following package (it is required for copy/paste but not listed as a dependency as reported [https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=141607 here])

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If there is a problem with networking, it is possible that the module {{ic|pcnet32}} steals the network interface from VMware, disabling it works:

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pacman -S gtkmm

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MODULES=(!pcnet32 ...)

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=== Keyboard/Mouse not working in X ===

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Run the following command after starting X (or add it to your {{ic|~/.xinitrc}} file) to automatically synchronize your X clipboard with the host's. This allows you to copy text from your virtual machine and paste it in the host, and vice versa.

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If you have no keyboard or mouse in X make sure you don't have the following line in the {{ic|ServerFlags}} section of your Xorg configuration. Consult [[Xorg#InputClasses]] for further assistance:

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vmware-user-suid-wrapper

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If you get the following error (which, in rare cases, you might have to run `strace vmware-user-suid-wrapper` to see it!)

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vmware-user: could not open /proc/fs/vmblock/dev

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you need to first insert the vmblock module into your kernel.

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sudo modprobe vmblock

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To have the module loaded at boot, see [[Kernel Modules#Loading]].

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===Rebuilding the vmblock module===

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If your kernel already has the vmblock module loaded,

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lsmod | grep vmblock

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and vmware-user-suid-wrapper still doesn't work, then you'll have to build the open-vm-tools-modules package yourself from the [[Arch Build System]]:

{{Note| This functionality is only available in VMware Workstation and Fusion}}

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Create a new Shared Folder by selecting {{ic|VM}} -> {{ic|Settings...}} in the VMware Workstation menu. Select the {{ic|Options}} tab and then {{ic|Shared Folder}}. Enable the {{ic|Always enabled}} option and create a new share. For Windows XP, you can create a share named {{ic|C}} with the Host Path {{ic|C:\}}.

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Add the following rule to {{ic|/etc/fstab}} (adjust the uid/gid where needed) for each shared folder:

VMware Tools versus Open-VM-Tools

VMware Tools for linux exists in 2 forms: the official VMware Tools and Open-VM-Tools. VMware Tools is based on a stable snapshot of Open-VM-Tools. Open-VM-Tools contains more experimental code and features.
The official VMware Tools are not available for Archlinux.

Originally, VMware Tools provided the best drivers for network and storage, combined with the functionality for other features such as time synchronization. However, for quite a while now the drivers for the network adapter en scsi adapter are part of the linux kernel, and VMware Tools is only needed for extra features and support for the "old" vmxnet adapter.

Open-VM-Tools modules

The open-vm-tools package contains the following modules:

vmblock: kernel filesystem module, enables drag&drop functionality between the host system and the virtual machine in VMware Workstation/Fusion.

vmhgfs: kernel filesystem module, enables file/directory sharing between the host system and the virtual machine in VMware Workstation/Fusion.

Time synchronization

Configuring time synchronization in a virtual machine is important: fluctuations are bound to occur more easily in a virtual machine compared to a physical host. This is mostly due to the fact that the CPU is shared by more than one virtual machine.

There are 2 options to set up time synchronization: the host machine as source or an external server as source.

Host machine as time source

To use the host as a time source (for example in an ESX server), run the following command (one time is enough):

vmware-toolbox-cmd timesync enable

To synchronize your guest clock with the host after your host machine wakes up from sleeping (like a laptop computer):

sudo hwclock --hctosys --localtime

I run the above command every time I wake up my sleeping laptop and resume using Arch Linux inside the VMWare Player.

VMCI

The VMCI interface is enabled by default in VMware Workstation and Fusion. In VMware ESX the interface is restricted, which means that communication is only possible between ESX and the virtual machine, not between virtual machines themselves. This can be changed in the Virtual Machine settings, traffic between ESX and the Virtual Machine can not be disabled.

DRAG AND DROP

Drag and Drop from files, from VMware Workstation/Fusion into the Virtual Machines, can be disabled by editing /etc/conf.d/open-vm-tools:

VM_DRAG_AND_DROP="no"

COPY AND PASTE

Install the following package (it is required for copy/paste but not listed as a dependency as reported here)

pacman -S gtkmm

Run the following command after starting X (or add it to your ~/.xinitrc file) to automatically synchronize your X clipboard with the host's. This allows you to copy text from your virtual machine and paste it in the host, and vice versa.

vmware-user-suid-wrapper

If you get the following error (which, in rare cases, you might have to run `strace vmware-user-suid-wrapper` to see it!)

Shared Folders with the Host

Note: This functionality is only available in VMware Workstation and Fusion

Create a new Shared Folder by selecting VM -> Settings... in the VMware Workstation menu. Select the Options tab and then Shared Folder. Enable the Always enabled option and create a new share. For Windows XP, you can create a share named C with the Host Path C:\.

Add the following rule to /etc/fstab (adjust the uid/gid where needed) for each shared folder: